This update is part of the Bill C-3 citizenship by descent hub, with the Citizenship guide. A recent change to Canadian citizenship law could mean that descendants of British Home Children are already Canadian citizens. More than 100,000 children were sent to Canada between 1869 and the 1930s. Millions of Canadians are estimated to be their descendants, and some living outside Canada may hold citizenship without realizing it.

Between 1869 and the late 1930s, British agencies sent over 100,000 children to Canada. These individuals are known as British Home Children. A 2010 federal release estimated that 3 to 4 million Canadians are directly descended from these former Home Children.

Charities, churches, and local poor relief boards ran these schemes. They feared children in Britain's slums would fall into crime and destitution. Most children were placed with rural families, with boys working on farms and girls as domestic servants.

Canadian citizenship was established as a separate legal status on January 1, 1947. A Home Child living in Canada at that time may have become a citizen under the first Citizenship Act. Parliament addressed part of this gap in 2015, recognizing British subjects ordinarily resident in Canada on January 1, 1947, who had not become citizens that day.

Bill C-3, which took effect on December 15, 2025, removed the first generation limit for citizenship by descent for many families. This change allows families to apply the rule of citizenship by descent across more than one generation born outside Canada.

Library and Archives Canada states that over 100,000 British children were sent to Canada between 1869 and the late 1930s. The UK's National Archives counts 80,000 children sent to Canada up to 1930. Notable agencies included Maria Rye's, which sent 3,623 girls, Annie Macpherson's, which sent about 2,000 children, and Dr. Barnardo's Homes, which sent 30,000 children between 1882 and 1939.

Beth Greenhorn, who joined Library and Archives Canada in 2003, discovered in 2012 that her grandfather, Rob Greenhorn, was a Home Child. He landed in Halifax on March 26, 1889, and went to Fairknowe Home in Brockville, Ontario. Ms. Greenhorn detailed this discovery in a series for the archives' blog.

Some descendants of Home Children living outside Canada may be Canadian citizens without their knowledge. Canada permits dual citizenship, meaning claiming Canadian status does not affect other citizenships, such as American citizenship.

Individuals who are Canadian citizens by operation of law may still require a proof of citizenship certificate to demonstrate their status. This certificate is necessary to apply for a Canadian passport. Families with complex lineage chains may choose to consult an immigration lawyer.